Waiting for the Barbarians
by Snoe
Summary: Lilly didn't know why they'd ever fallen in love or gotten married or hated each other. But when the darkness falls on both of them, she cannot help but wait...and remember. Liley
1. Chapter 1

This was my exercise at writing a one shot, but it's turned into about a five shot. I guess the more the merrier for you ;) I'm dedicating this to **lita_rocks**, because she told me to, but she didn't know it was based on her being a jerk, so there :-p

Also, I've been forced to get one of those Twitter things (did I make myself sound old?), so check it out at IamSnoe . Maybe someone can browbeat me into updating faster ;)

* * *

Title: **Waiting for the Barbarians**

Rating: T for some cursing

.

She remembered the low rumbling, the vibrations coursing through her body and she had shouted and tried to run, but then nothing. Darkness had descended like a heavy cloak, pushing her, knocking her around and there had been pain, but the fear had overwhelmed everything. She was not unconscious, but dazed and her eyes swam though there was nothing to see. Words and deeds pounded through her brain at rapid pace and she lay there, blankly, waiting for them to pass.

"_How could you do this to me?"_

"_Do you take this woman to be your wife, in sickness…"_

"_Nothing happened."_

"_Are you ever going to spend time at home?"_

"_I do."_

"_What is your problem?"_

"_I love you, Miley."_

"_I hate you, Lilly."_

She jerked, unable to tolerate the words any longer. She had lived them and had resigned herself to her fate, but she did not wish to remember. The buzzing in her head slowly subsided, and with it came an almost eerie silence, punctuated by creaking and groaning that seemed to surround her completely. She clenched her fist, feeling the hard concrete under her fingertips. There was just utter darkness and she knew without light she would not stand a chance to move away from her current position. But she had to, had to move forward to find her.

Lilly pushed herself up with a groan, though she was surprised the aches in her body were minor. As soon as she moved, she could taste dirt in her mouth that she had kicked up and coughed. She was still blind and had no idea which direction she was even facing now. Lilly knelt on the concrete floor, blindly feeling her surroundings with her hands. She encountered rocks, larger rocks, some rebar, maybe the bumper of a car. There were shooting pains coming from her ankle, but the panic and adrenaline kept it at bay. She had more important things to worry about right now.

If only she could find their car she could probably get to her flashlight, but there was just no way to tell in the darkness. She reached over her head, but found no resistance, much to her relief. Nevertheless, Lilly crawled forward on her hands and knees, sweeping the floor with her hands. She hadn't been that far behind, maybe only a few feet, just enough not to have to hear the accusations and see those angry, sad eyes directed at her. Just a few feet. But then Lilly hit an obstacle, cold and smooth and wide, a collapsed concrete pillar perhaps. She sat back, frustrated, worried, terrified.

"Miley!" yelled Lilly, her voice ringing eerily in the collapsed parking garage.

"Lilly." The voice came from right beside her and Lilly jumped. She reached out to her right, moving sideways just a foot before her hand made contact with something soft. Soft and warm and familiar. The relief she felt was immense and it surprised her.

"Miles, is that you or am I feeling up a stranger?" asked Lilly, resorting to her clutch of deflecting serious emotion with jokes.

A hand pushed hers away none too gently, "Wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

Miley's voice was bitter and hurt and the sudden relief at finding her wife in the darkness was overpowered as months of hurt and anger flooded back. "Wow, Miles, even in the middle of a serious disaster you can't let it go. What do you think Dr. Paul would say to that?"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't taken forever to get ready, we could be inside and ask her!"

Lilly scoffed, "I don't think earthquakes are restricted to just one area, Miley. Pretty sure it would've still struck inside the doctor's office."

"I'm pretty sure you're an ass."

Lilly was silent for a few moments, staring at the spot she figured Miley to be. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened to them, or when, but this was certainly not what she'd had in mind when she proposed to Miley five years ago. She shook her head, though Miley couldn't see. "I'm gonna try to find a way out of here…away from you."

She moved to crawl in the opposite direction, but was surprised to find a hand on her arm, stopping her, "Please don't leave me."

"You're free to make yourself useful and look for an escape route, as well," said Lilly, bitterness tingeing her own voice.

Miley's voice was a lot softer this time and Lilly thought it almost sounded like she was crying, "I can't. I'm stuck."

"What do you mean 'you're stuck'?" asked Lilly, moving back next to her wife. Despite Miley's earlier protest, Lilly ran her hands across her wife's torso, all the way until she felt the concrete barrier she had encountered earlier. It came just to the middle of Miley's thighs and Lilly tried to push it and get her hand under it to see if she could maybe pull Miley out. Miley's gasp made her stop.

"Does it hurt?"

"No, a ton of concrete crushing my legs feels like a gentle massage. Get off me, you jerk!"

Lilly sat back again and sighed. Being with Miley lately was like going on a horrible rollercoaster ride and she had lost all patience for it. Sometimes Miley would smile at her, or give her a look like she used to, but then, as if she remembered she hated Lilly, she'd go back to this. But despite all this, Lilly knew she wouldn't leave her wife to suffer down here. No matter how much they hated each other now, they were still crazy in love – at least Lilly was.

"Look, if I can find a hole or something somewhere, I can call for help. I'm not gonna be able to pull you out."

"Lilly, they're gonna have to cut off my legs," said Miley softly and Lilly could tell she was crying now for sure. Lilly wanted to roll her eyes at her wife's flair for overdramatizing everything, but the same thought had occurred to her as well.

Lilly reached blindly for Miley's hand and found it immediately, to her surprise. "I'm not gonna let them cut off your legs, okay? Primarily, because then I'd be stuck taking care of you for the rest of my life."

Miley said nothing, but did not remove her hand from Lilly's, either. They stayed like that for a while, silent, and Lilly realized it was the longest they'd sat together, just holding hands, without bickering, for months. She pulled her hand away, "Do you still have the car keys?"

"Are you gonna drive out of here?" said Miley, that mocking undertone back in her voice. No matter how annoying she was, Lilly actually preferred this Miley to the sad, crying and scared one of just a few minutes previous. Something hard suddenly hit Lilly in the face and dropped into her lap. She picked up the key ring and glared into the darkness.

"That was my face."

"Good, I was worried I'd missed."

Lilly scoffed and moved away without another word. She was still crawling along, partially because she was worried the ceiling had caved in and partially because her ankle was bothering her more and more. They hadn't gotten too far from the car when the quake hit and she was hoping the remote unlock would still work. She pushed the button and Lilly nearly jumped with joy when the taillights of her Jeep lit up just a few yards further ahead. But the brief illumination had also highlighted how much trouble they were really in.

The entire ceiling seemed to have shifted downward by several feet and both entrances to the garage were completely blocked with debris. Lilly tried not to think about that, taking her mission step by step. When she reached the car, she hit the unlock key again, noticing the entire front part of the car had been smashed by a concrete support beam. Thankfully what she was looking for was in the trunk and it opened easily enough, though would not lift fully due to the sagging ceiling. Lilly tried to stand, but agonizing pain shot through her ankle and she decided it was better to kneel and reach inside to pull out the backpack she kept inside.

It was fairly heavy, but she managed to heft it out. The flashlight was in the front pocket and Lilly immediately turned it on, surprised at how much better she felt just having light. She panned the light across the parking garage, trying to discern if there was any sort of hole somewhere she could widen and climb out of. The destruction seemed to be widespread and nearly complete, with crushed cars lining both sides and chunks of concrete littering the open area they found themselves in. Lilly turned the light to where Miley was and suddenly she felt terrified. Before it had just been them arguing like always, but now that she could see, the seriousness of the situation hit her full force. Lilly grabbed the backpack and dragged it along as she crawled back to her wife.

"So, there doesn't seem to be a hole, but I have good news," said Lilly as she got closer to Miley. Lilly shone the flashlight across her wife's body, but the outer edges of the beam illuminated Miley's face to show tear tracks in the blood and dirt coating her skin. Lilly moved the light away, so she wouldn't have to see. Miley turned her head towards Lilly; the weak light allowed them to at least somewhat discern where the other was at.

"What?"

"My survival bag made it through!" said Lilly proudly, pulling the backpack up next to her.

"Are you serious?" asked Miley, not at all thrilled like Lilly knew she ought to be.

"Yeah, well, considering you ridiculed me for getting it, I don't think I'll share."

"Whatever, it was a stupid idea."

Lilly scoffed and set the flashlight on top of the concrete beam so the light shone out across and allowed them to see each other, "You're right, it was a really stupid idea to get a bag that'll allow me to survive for 72 hours if I'm stranded by an earthquake. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, maybe that **this** could happen!"

"Well, why don't you and your bag go somewhere else and have little survival bag babies! Or would Mikayla get jealous?"

Lilly looked at her wife, partially stunned and partially angry, "Seriously Miles."

She grabbed her bag and the flashlight and crawled to her right, away from Miley until she hit the row of cars. The destruction was even worse on this side, with the ceiling having smashed the cars nearly completely and Lilly leaned her back against one. She pulled open her backpack and grabbed the First Aid kit to try and do something about her ankle. She felt a sudden pang of guilt for tending to her stupid ankle, while her wife lay pinned and likely in pain over there and Lilly hadn't even really tried to help her. But Miley's words still rang in her ears and she pushed the guilt aside, instead pointing the flashlight at her leg.

She'd been wearing sneakers, which had offered little protection against falling debris and her ankle seemed to have taken the brunt of things. It was swelling up nicely and Lilly wondered if it could possibly be broken. Since there was little she could do about it now, she set about wrapping it as best as she could with the supplies she had.

"What's wrong with your ankle?"

Lilly ignored Miley and continued with her task, too angry to even want to consider conversation. She wasn't sure why she had ever let herself get talked into going to marriage counseling, especially when Miley seemed hell bent to kick her to the curb. A sudden rumbling erupted around her, weaker than before, but enough to send more debris raining down on her, making the few support beams still standing groan under the stress and weight. It was over very quickly and Lilly sat up from where she had tried to shield her body against the debris. She grabbed the flashlight shakily and shone it over at Miley.

"Miles, you okay?" Lilly called out, noticing Miley had turned sideways as far as she could to shield her head. She got no response and a sudden panic flooded her system. She cursed herself for caring so much, but knew it was futile. She had loved Miley since she first laid eyes on her in 6th grade, though hadn't really figured out what that meant until freshman year. No matter the bitterness and anger and wanting to strangle the girl, Lilly loved Miley with all her heart.

Lilly grabbed her backpack again and began the slow crawl back towards her wife. Miley was turned away from her, arms covering her head. As soon as Lilly noticed she was shaking she felt relieved knowing at least Miley was alive. She knelt right next to her wife, shining the flashlight across Miley's body to check for new injuries, but found nothing. Then she realized Miley was crying, in earnest this time and Lilly hesitantly put a hand on the girl's back.

"Miles, are you alright?"

"What do you think?" said Miley, just as biting as before, but her voice was muffled now. "I'm gonna die, trapped under a thousand pounds of rubble, with a wife who doesn't love me anymore."

Lilly sighed and sat back against the concrete beam, but close enough their bodies were almost touching. "You're not gonna die, Miley."

She said nothing about the latter part, even though she knew it wasn't true. Miley didn't want to hear it anyway. Lilly fumbled in her backpack for the extra set of clothes and pulled out the old sweater. She lightly tugged on Miley's shoulder, "Come on, Miles, lay back, you're just hurting yourself more like this."

To her surprise, Miley didn't argue and carefully moved back into a supine position, wincing as the movement put pressure on her legs. Lilly bunched up the sweater and put it under Miley's head. Miley looked at her, open and without malice for perhaps the first time in months, and though Lilly couldn't really see the blue of her eyes in the poor light, she knew exactly what it looked like.

"Thanks," said Miley softly, before she looked away again. Her eyes fell to the backpack by Lilly's side. "So, how long will this keep two people alive?"

"I thought I said I wasn't gonna share," said Lilly, though her slight smirk gave her away. She shrugged, "It's for two people, so 72 hours."

Miley seemed uncomfortable, as if the mere mention of two people had brought unpleasant images to the forefront. "Why did you get a bag for two people?"

Lilly could tell by the look on Miley's face she was afraid of the answer. Maybe in a way Lilly couldn't even blame her and she swallowed hard knowing that she had done this. "I didn't ever want to be in a position where I couldn't save your life if I had to…even if you weren't with me anymore, at least I'd know…I could."

Miley wouldn't meet her eyes, instead focusing on her hands resting on her stomach. They were silent again for several moments, before Miley spoke, "I'm gonna have to hear 'I told you so' about this damn bag for the rest of our lives, aren't I?"

"You know it," said Lilly, grinning slightly, though internally she was in disarray. This was the first time in months Miley had even hinted at the possibility that they may still be together years down the road. She didn't know what to make of it, or whether Miley even realized what she'd said, but Lilly decided not to dwell on it. She reached over and took Miley's hand in hers and was glad when she wasn't rebuffed.

xxx

Lilly was staring intensely at her cellphone, willing it to get a signal somehow. She sighed in defeat and looked at Miley to her left. They hadn't spoken in hours, though for once their silence wasn't wholly awkward. Miley had her eyes closed and was breathing steadily and Lilly wondered how bad she was actually feeling. She'd tried to shine her light underneath the beam pinning Miley and get an idea of how bad it was, but hadn't been very successful. Lilly nudged her wife lightly on the arm until Miley opened her eyes.

"Miles, do you still have your cellphone? I'm not getting a signal."

Miley shook her head, "It was in my purse. I don't know where it ended up."

Lilly grabbed the flashlight off the ledge and shone it around the area, but there was nothing but rubble and cars. She sighed again and put the light back on top of the pillar. She was considering trying to move some rubble from the far end of the garage, maybe just enough to open a hole and call for help, but she was worried about making an unstable area even more unstable.

"You can sometimes call 911 even without a signal," said Miley.

Lilly grabbed her phone and dialed, almost hesitantly. This was really their only shot and she was worried about what they'd do if it didn't work. To her surprise and excitement it seemed to dial, but then a steady beeping interrupted the call. She scoffed and nearly tossed the phone away, before remembering it was their only lifeline. She met Miley's expectant eyes with a grimace.

"It's busy. I'm gonna be fucking stuck down here forever!"

"It's no cake walk for me, either," said Miley.

Lilly stretched out her legs, wishing the throbbing in her ankle would subside. "But you're the one who wanted to go to counseling and now we're here!"

"And whose fault is it we had to go to counseling, huh? **I** wasn't the one shitting on my marriage vows."

Lilly glared at Miley with fire in her eyes, "Yeah, you're right, **you're** the perfect wife, Miley! I can't imagine why anyone would want to leave you!"

Miley gave her a look so hateful it actually made Lilly's heart constrict. "Fine, just leave then! Maybe you'll have better luck marrying Mikayla…at least you'll both be lying cheats!"

Lilly shook her head and pushed herself forward, "See, that's exactly what I'm talking about." She crawled away a few feet, but it wasn't fast enough for her and she stood, shakily on her bad ankle. The bandage seemed to be doing its job, however, and she managed to take a few tentative steps. "I'm gonna go find a pipe to knock on."

"Yeah, 'cause they put **tons** of pipes in parking garages!" yelled Miley, her voice angry and hurt.

Lilly kept moving forward slowly, but determined to get to the other end of the garage. She called over her shoulder, "I don't care as long as I get to be far away from you!"

There was a heap of rubble, larger and smaller pieces of concrete piled against one side and Lilly tentatively tried to climb on top of it to see if there was a hole. It was not a steady climb, especially with her ankle, but she managed to get close to the collapsed ceiling and shove some of the rubble away with her hands. She made slow progress, but that was just fine by her. After what seemed like forever a beam of light fell through the hole she had made and Lilly almost yelled out loud in excitement. She pushed herself up to glance through the hole, only to realize it was not an exit to the outside, but simply a hole to another, open section of the garage. It was, however, close to one of the open windows set in the side of the garage and Lilly hoped it might be enough to alert rescue personnel.

Lilly pulled her emergency whistle, courtesy of her survival backpack, from her pocket and put it to her mouth. The high-pitched whistle was shrill and reverberated around the small space they were in. She kept whistling, hoping someone would be able to hear it, but there was no movement outside. Lilly sat back, defeated, feeling like this might not end well for the first time since the initial quake. She wanted to cry, maybe scream or throw something, but merely swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly moved down the pile of rubble. By the time she collapsed back against the pillar next to Miley, she was feeling utterly hopeless. Lilly leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Is there any water in your bag?" Miley's voice was shaky, as if she'd been crying again.

"You're not supposed to drink any the first day," said Lilly without opening her eyes.

"If there's water for three days and you don't drink any one day, wouldn't it be a four day survival pack?"

Lilly opened her eyes and looked down at her wife, "I didn't make the rules, Miley."

"Can I please just have some water?" asked Miley, her voice quivering. Lilly had never been able to handle seeing her wife cry and just hearing the girl's voice like that made her insides churn. She sighed and dug through the backpack, tossing one of the water pouches at Miley.

"If you're out of water in two days, I'm not sharing mine."

Miley didn't respond, instead fumbling with the foil pouch. Her hands were shaking and Lilly could easily see Miley would only spill the water once she did get it open. She heaved a sigh and took the pouch from Miley's hands. She turned around so they were both facing the same way and slid her arm under Miley's shoulders to help her sit up. Lilly easily opened the pouch and handed it back to Miley, who drank a few eager sips, but then handed the half-full pouch back to Lilly.

"You know I can't just put the cap back on. Why did you make me open this if you didn't really want it?" asked Lilly, feeling put out and still somewhat angry.

"I just…feel sick. You drink it," said Miley softly. Lilly wanted to protest that she hadn't wanted any water to begin with and she didn't want any now, but swallowed her protest and drank the water. It had a slightly plastic taste to it and she grimaced, but realized after just one sip how dry her throat had really been.

Miley's head was suddenly on Lilly's shoulder, the girl's face almost turned into the crook of Lilly's neck. Lilly's heart actually fluttered at the contact and she realized how long it had been since either of them had really been affectionate with one another. It pained her to know, but now she had no idea what to do, except for keep her arm wrapped around her wife's shoulders as they sat, rather uncomfortably in the rubble.

_to be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

I was gonna wait to update until this made it into the liley community, since I want everyone to be able to see it. I guess you're all lucky I felt generous today ;)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Lilly sat back in her spot by Miley's side, feeling more and more like they were trapped without chance of being saved. She'd made the short trek between her hole in the rubble and Miley's side every 15 to 30 minutes to blow the emergency whistle in hopes of someone finding them. She'd had no luck so far and a glance at her watch told her they had been trapped for almost ten hours. It seemed impossible to her, that not only had no one bothered to look for them in here, but also that they hadn't killed each other being stuck in a small space together. It was certainly more time than they'd spent together in months.

"Miley?" said Lilly softly, but got no response. Feeling a bit of panic she moved closer and shone the flashlight at Miley. Lilly had no way of knowing whether Miley was merely trapped with some minor injuries or whether the heavy concrete beam had crushed her legs and she was possibly dying right before Lilly's eyes. No matter the anger and hurt between them, Lilly did not want Miley to die.

Lilly hadn't really taken the time to look at Miley since the earthquake, maybe because she just couldn't stand seeing her in pain, or so angry. A sheen of dust covered Miley's face, along with some smears of blood from cuts and scrapes and the tear tracks were still clearly visible. Lilly felt the sudden urge to trail her fingers along her wife's cheek, but stopped herself at the last moment. Instead, she reached for her bag, and grabbed some of the baby wipes inside. She hesitated again, but scolded herself for being afraid to touch her own wife, and gently cleaned the dirt off Miley's face. Miley blinked her eyes open before too long, looking at her weirdly.

"What're you doing?"

Lilly stopped, feeling like she'd gotten caught doing something bad, and shrugged, "I just thought I'd make you presentable again."

"Who's gonna see me down here?" asked Miley, watching Lilly intently.

"I am."

Miley frowned, as if lost in thought for a minute, before asking in a soft voice, "Is that why?"

Lilly narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Why what?"

"Why you stopped loving me…because you don't find me attractive."

Lilly felt the words like a punch to the gut and couldn't find words to say. Never, through everything that had happened, had she ever thought there was anyone more beautiful than Miley. Never once had she stopping loving the girl she married. She shook her head.

"I never stopped loving you, Miles."

Miley sniffed, her tears once again in full force, "Then **why**?"

Lilly sighed, "Let's just…let's get out of here first and then…"

"Then you'll just forget about me again…and go back to Mikayla," said Miley, voice quivering.

Lilly clenched her jaw at the accusation, but for once it wasn't snide or bitter, only full of hurt and she couldn't stand the fact she had done this. She sighed again, more heavily this time, "Miley…"

Lilly had no idea what to say and remained silent, while Miley covered her face with her hands and cried. Unable to watch the girl she still loved like that, Lilly got up to return to her hole, determined to call the help that would get them out of there.

xxx

She was on a boat, swaying back and forth in the turbulent water, wishing she could just reach dry land and stop the incessant movement. Lilly awoke with a start to the all too familiar rumbling and shaking, the cascade of more debris raining down on them and the crunching of the cars and pillars as they shifted. Without a second thought, Lilly threw her body across Miley's, shielding the girl from the falling debris. Small rocks and dirt rained against her back and the flashlight rolled off the beam to drop to the ground somewhere.

The shaking lasted for what seemed like forever. As soon as it stopped, Lilly sat up, spilling dust and rubble everywhere. She blindly searched the ground for their flashlight and almost shouted in triumph when she found it. She cranked the little handle rapidly, until the light turned back on. Lilly felt Miley's fingers gripping her shirt and looked down. Miley was giving her an odd look.

"Did you just…protect me?"

Lilly frowned, realizing what she had done in the spur of the moment, and shrugged, "I don't know what I was thinking. I'm gonna go check the hole."

She moved to get away, but Miley did not release her hold on Lilly's shirt. "Lils, I'm hungry."

Lilly stopped short at the nickname, too shocked to make a snide comment about not being Miley's maid. Miley hadn't called her that in a long time. She reached for her survival bag and pulled out one of the small food bars to hand to Miley. The girl looked at it in disgust and Lilly actually managed a weak chuckle.

"Enjoy breakfast, honey!" said Lilly sarcastically, though for once it almost felt right to be calling Miley some silly pet name. Miley made a face at her, but it seemed almost jovial and Lilly quickly moved to get away before they remembered they hated each other.

The most recent aftershock had shifted the pile of rubble significantly and Lilly felt she might almost be able to squeeze through the hole with a bit of work. She shifted aside some more of the rocks and tried to see if she could fit, but it was still too small for her shoulders to clear. Frustrated, Lilly took out her whistle again and got as close to the hole as she could, before blowing it. There was no answer from the outside and Lilly sat back against the rubble, feeling tears of frustration pool in her eyes. She pulled out her cell phone, hoping to maybe get a signal this close to freedom, but her battery had died overnight and she threw it angrily into the darkness. She heard it shatter and only briefly felt guilty over destroying her possession.

"Lilly?" called Miley, sounding almost worried after hearing the phone shatter and Lilly pushed off the pile with a sigh to make her way back over.

"Still nothing," said Lilly heavily as she sat back in her spot. She'd thought about telling Miley help was on the way, but it would be of little use – Miley could always tell when she was lying.

"Do you think anyone's noticed we're missing, yet?" asked Miley, the bad situation making her amicable enough to hold a conversation.

Lilly shrugged, thinking about their friends and family on the outside. With the magnitude earthquake they must have had to bring down this garage, Lilly wasn't sure others they cared about weren't in a bind, as well. She wouldn't mention this, however. "Hard to say, I'm sure all the phone lines are down and the roads probably blocked. But I'm sure your dad is worried, you are his little girl after all."

"You don't think Mikayla's wondering where you are?" asked Miley and though there was a hint of bitterness in her voice, it actually sounded like a sincere question.

Lilly rolled her eyes in frustration, "Miley, I **don't** want to talk about Mikayla."

"You don't wanna talk about **anything**, Lilly. You haven't in a long time. What's so special about Mikayla that you had to spend every waking moment with her and forget about your wife?"

"I think you're forgetting who started spending more and more time away from home. You were never **there**, Miley! I hung out with Mikayla because I was **bored** and **lonely**!"

"So you cheated on me because you were bored and lonely?" said Miley, voice full of bitterness and hurt again.

Lilly huffed, feeling like they'd been having this same argument for months, "I did **not** cheat on you."

Miley looked at her and even in the poor light Lilly could see the tears in her eyes. It seemed like Miley hadn't stopped crying since they'd been trapped, but this one was all on her. "But you wanted to."

Lilly's first reaction was to lie, but she had done so much of that lately and with such poor results she knew she just couldn't do it again. All the fight drained out of her and she practically sagged against the pillar behind her and nodded her head, "Yeah."

Miley bit her lip and turned her head away from Lilly. The silence that fell over them was oppressive and Lilly stared bleakly into the near darkness, her thoughts in disarray. She knew she had messed up, but part of her was not ready to accept full blame for what had happened to them. Part of her still claimed she had done nothing wrong.

A rock exploded against the pillar next to her face and her head whipped around, expecting either another aftershock or Miley to attack her with debris. Instead she found Miley almost in a state of panic, throwing anything in her reach at the pillar and trying to pull and claw her way free from the concrete trap. Lilly was surprised Miley didn't seem to register the pain she was surely feeling from trying to pull her legs free. She jumped up to kneel next to Miley and forcefully held down her shoulders while she struggled. Miley was fighting her, even landing a half-decent blow against her chin, but Lilly did not let go.

"Miley! Stop it! You're just gonna hurt yourself!" Lilly's voice bounced loudly in the small space, but neither her words nor her actions seemed to calm Miley down.

"I hate you for hurting me," said Miley, still fighting and crying now. Lilly swallowed the lump in her throat and reached around Miley with both arms to pull the girl up and into a tight hug. Miley had no more room to fight her, arms trapped between their bodies and she merely clutched Lilly's shirt while she sobbed against her.

"I know, Miley…I know. I'm sorry," said Lilly softly, letting the tears fall freely from her eyes. She felt like she'd said the words many times before, but never before had she really meant them.

"Why?" Miley hadn't stopped crying and holding her shaking body in her arms made Lilly only more upset. How had she not stopped this before it was too late? Why had she not remembered **Miley**, the girl she'd loved for so long she didn't know how **not** to? Lilly had never given an answer to Miley's question before, but somehow, now, trapped and desperate and suddenly feeling close again, she knew she had to.

"I just…you were never home, Miles and…Mikayla and I have a lot in common, we just hung out to pass the time. At first it was just little things, a bit of flirting, or looks…I never thought much of it…but it was **nice** to feel wanted and…maybe I encouraged it. I liked that Mikayla made me feel special again…every time you worked late or cancelled plans it just…made me crave what Mikayla offered even more. I did want to sleep with her…part of me even wanted to hurt you…but, I knew I couldn't do that. I knew despite everything I'd only ever be able to love **you**, Miles."

They were silent for a while, both content to feel the other so close when it had been impossible to do so for so long. Miley sniffed, but did not move and her voice was muffled when she spoke, "You didn't touch her?"

Lilly closed her eyes, wishing she could go back to lying. She'd let Miley think for so long she had slept with Mikayla, denying it vehemently just to make it seem more obvious, but if she truly wanted her wife back, she'd have to be honest. "We kissed…just once and I stopped it after a few minutes."

Miley stiffened in her arms and tried to pull away, though a lot less forcefully. Lilly didn't want to let her go, not after having her so close again, but she felt Miley's hand against her abdomen pushing her away. She clenched her jaw.

"Miley…"

"Please, just…I just wanna lay back down."

Lilly relented and let her wife pull away. Miley laid back, her face stoic before she turned her head away again. Lilly felt a sudden clarity about what she needed to do, a longing and need to have her marriage whole again. She reached out her hand and this time did not hesitate to lightly brush the back of her hand against Miley's cheek. The other girl did not respond or acknowledge her and Lilly stood with a sigh to return to the hole to call for help.

_to be continued_


	3. Chapter 3

I honestly didn't mean to wait this long between posting. Once again, I am a total slacker and I'm sorry. I think there'll be one more chapter after this, unless I have a major change of heart. We'll see. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"…at 5…Thursda…7.0 magni…quake…Los Angeles…center…and rescue…survivors…repeat…"

"Will you please turn that off?"

Lilly looked up from the pocket-sized radio she'd found in her backpack. They hadn't spoken again in what seemed like hours and Lilly had set out to explore the contents of the backpack that was currently doing a half decent job of keeping them alive. She'd found the radio and had hoped to get a station in, but it was mostly static. Lilly flipped the off switch and dipped the space back into silence. She'd tried to keep an eye on Miley, who'd returned to rebuffing Lilly's attempts at civility, though with much less hostility.

"Are you cold?" asked Lilly, noticing Miley's teeth were chattering.

Miley looked at her, for probably the first time in hours. She looked like she might make a snide comment, but then merely gave a half shrug, "I…don't know."

Lilly frowned and slid closer, ignoring the near look of protest Miley threw her way. She grabbed one of her wife's hands. It was freezing cold. Even though it was nighttime, it wasn't too horribly cold inside the garage as a lot of heat seemed to be trapped inside. Lilly suddenly felt a renewed sense of worry, beyond the question of whether they'd ever get rescued. She turned to her backpack, remembering the emergency blanket she had seen earlier. Lilly pulled out the small packet and spread the foil type blanket out. Miley gave her another odd look.

"Why do you have a space blanket?"

"Because I'm an astronaut. Can you sit up?" Lilly said, helping pull Miley up so she could wrap the blanket around her tightly. Almost as soon as Lilly had wrapped her in the blanket, Miley's eyes seemed to roll back and she went slack in Lilly's arms.

"Miles? Miley!" Lilly was in a full state of panic now and she carefully laid Miley back, kneeling over her terrified. She'd known all along Miley was more hurt than she'd let on, but she had just let it go, because she didn't **want** to think about it, but now what was she supposed to do? Lilly bit her lip and shook Miley as gently as possible, not wanting to hurt her further, but wanting to wake her up. When Miley opened her eyes to look at her, a sob escaped Lilly's lips.

"Lilly? Are you crying?" asked Miley, looking utterly confused.

Lilly hadn't realized it, but she was and she frowned as she swiped at her eyes, "Shit Miles, what the hell?"

"What?"

"You passed out. I thought you were gonna die or something."

Miley was silent, sure Lilly wasn't lying about it, but unable to recall what had happened. She looked at her wife kneeling above her, looking shook up. "You're crying because you thought I was gonna die?"

"Well…just…because I hadn't gotten a chance to have you write me back into your will," said Lilly, diverting the uncomfortable emotional talk.

Miley looked at her, silently, and when she spoke it wasn't snide like Lilly had expected, "I never took you out, you know. You get everything when I…"

Lilly clenched her jaw and shook her head forcefully, "No Miles, not today. Are you warm now?"

Miley nodded. She hadn't even realized how cold she was until the beautiful warmth of the blanket surrounded her. Lilly nodded as well and sat back in her spot, though she couldn't shake the panic now gripping her heart at the thought Miley was in serious trouble.

xxx

"If we ever get out of here, I am burning this damn whistle!" yelled Lilly, though not loud enough to wake Miley sleeping at the other end. She'd kept up her vigil of checking the hole and trying to call for help almost all night, unable to sleep with the worry over Miley and uncomfortable accommodations. The sun was nearly coming up again and Lilly had nearly lost all hope that someone would find them. She slid off her pile of rubble, thinking about the food bar that awaited her in the backpack.

"Hey! Is someone down there?"

Lilly stopped. Was she hallucinating now or had she really just heard a voice? She turned and saw a beam of light swiping past the hole at the top of the pile. She nearly jumped to get back on top of her pile, kicking up the rocks and debris she'd carefully avoided before.

"Hey! Help! We're down here!" yelled Lilly, her frantic climb getting her nowhere. She grabbed her whistle again and blew until her ears rang, while haphazardly making her way back to the top of the pile. She stretched out across the top, but the light was gone. Tears of frustration pooled in her eyes and she seriously considered punching her way through the debris.

"Hello?" A face suddenly appeared on the other side of the debris, wearing a helmet with a bright light that blinded her. Lilly gaped at the sight, so unexpected, and sat up, banging her head on the top of the ceiling. Her hands shook as she clutched the dirt underneath her.

"Help us please, we're trapped," said Lilly, her voice sounding rough to her own ears.

"I'm Rick Santos with the LA Fire Department. How many of you are in there?" asked the man and pulled back some to assess the debris blocking his way.

Lilly glanced over to where Miley still lay trapped and back to the man, "Just two. Please, you have to get us out of here."

He held up a hand and turned around to shout to someone she couldn't see. Suddenly there were two more lights in the waning darkness behind the hole. Rick turned back to Lilly, "It looks like it shouldn't be a problem to move some of this debris aside so we can get you out. We're just waiting on some of the equipment, okay? We'll have you out in no time. What's your name?"

"Lilly, look, my wife, she's trapped…under some concrete and I…I can't get her out and…I think…I think she's dying." Lilly's voice broke at the end and she swallowed hard.

Rick gave her a sympathetic look and waved someone else over, "Alright, Lilly, this is Caleb, he's a paramedic; he's gonna see if there's anything he can do for your wife, okay? We're gonna need to clear this debris first before we can get your wife out."

Rick moved away and Lilly was surprised at how much his mere presence seemed to have calmed her, because as soon as he was out of sight, the ball of anxiety in her stomach returned. She looked at Caleb, hoping he could provide some help.

"Okay, can you tell me what's going on? Are you hurt?" asked Caleb and it actually took Lilly a few moments to remember she had hurt her ankle.

"Just my ankle, but I'm fine. My wife…she's trapped and she's really cold and she's passed out and I think she's…" Lilly swallowed the end, feeling the all too familiar barrage of tears.

"Is she passed out now?"

Lilly shook her head, though she wasn't too sure. Miley had been asleep when she had come over to blow her whistle, but she hadn't woken up from all the commotion, yet. "I-I don't know, but she's been awake since."

Lilly tried to explain everything as best as she could as he asked her questions and she noticed Caleb making notes on something as he kept looking down. "Okay, it looks like her blood pressure may be low and that's why she passed out. I want you to keep her warm and awake, okay? As soon as these guys clear a bigger hole, I'll come in there."

Lilly nodded, but the panic flooded her again as soon as Caleb disappeared from her view. Rick came back and pushed something through the hole that seemed like a heavy tarp, "I need you to get to the other side of this and use that to cover up in case some more debris gets shaken loose. We're gonna try to punch through."

She took the tarp and reluctantly made her way back down the pile. Lilly was loathe to leave the only hope she'd had in days and move back into the darkness. She knelt next to Miley, who remained wrapped in the space blanket, seemingly asleep. Lilly brushed her fingertips across Miley's cheek lightly, overcome with a feeling of love. Right here, in this place, at this time, she couldn't fathom why she had ever desired someone else, why she had ever risked everything she'd ever wanted. She bit her lip.

"Miley?"

Miley opened her eyes and gave Lilly a weak smile, as if all the bitterness and hurt had disappeared. Lilly scooted as close as possible to get a better look at Miley in the weak light. She was going to keep her alive until those firefighters could get her out.

"Hey Miles, look, help is here, they're gonna get you out soon," said Lilly softly, motioning at the far rubble pile. Miley hardly acknowledged her words, licking her lips as if she were thirsty.

"Lilly…let's just go home," said Miley weakly, her voice almost swallowed up by the noise now coming from the rubble pile. She reached out a hand and Lilly took it. Her hope from just minutes before had been replaced with sheer terror once again. She pulled the heavy tarp across them to protect from the potential rubble spraying across as the firefighters were attacking the barrier with jackhammers.

"I'll take you wherever you wanna go, Miley."

The noise was getting louder, but as it spelled rescue Lilly welcomed it. She held tightly onto Miley's hand, willing her to stay awake and alive. Why had she needed something like **this** to remind her of what was important in her life?

"Mikayla was like my enemy."

Lilly turned her head to look at Miley, but could see nothing under the tarp. She'd thought they'd made some headway with this, but Miley's words made her heart clench painfully with the fear she might never be able to repair the damage. Lilly sighed.

"I know, Miley. What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I love you, Lilly…but…" Miley trailed off and Lilly's heart gave another painful jolt.

"But?"

"You hurt me…so much…how can I…forgive you?"

Tears pooled in Lilly's eyes and she tried to blink them away. "I love you Miley, I always have and I always will. I was stupid…so fucking stupid."

"I'd never expected you to leave me," said Miley, sounding almost resolved to whatever fate she thought awaited her.

Lilly gritted her teeth, "I'm never leaving you, Miley."

Her words were followed by a loud crash and shouting.

_to be continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

Once again I'm horrible with updating. I've been going back and forth on this ending, but finally decided to just go with it. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed this. I'm working on 3 or 4 projects right now, so hopefully I will have something new for you soon ;)

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Lilly gritted her teeth, "I'm never leaving you, Miley."

Her words were followed by a loud crash and shouting. Lilly lifted the tarp off her head and was greeted with the wonderful sight of firefighters climbing through the enlarged hole in the rubble barrier. They brought large halogen lamps and the bright light immediately blinded her as she sat up. The firefighters that came through wasted no time in assessing the concrete beam trapping Miley, while Caleb the paramedic followed them in as promised. He was accompanied by another medic and they set their bags by Miley's side, their calm faces immediately making Lilly feel better.

"Hey, I'm Caleb and this is Paul, we're paramedics with the LAFD. What's your name?" They immediately focused on Miley, asking her a few questions as if trying to put her at ease.

"Please, help her, she's been getting more and more out of it," said Lilly to the medics, watching as Caleb took Miley's blood pressure and the other medic started an IV on the other arm. Lilly moved out of the way slightly, but was loathe to leave Miley's side.

"I'm not out of it," said Miley, her voice suddenly sounding a lot stronger.

"Yes, you are."

"How?"

"For one, you told me you loved me without throwing things," said Lilly, happy to oblige this conversation to keep Miley awake and focused.

Miley grimaced, as if realizing Lilly had a point. She turned her head to look at the paramedics by her side. "How bad is it?"

"Your blood pressure's a little low right now, we're giving you some fluids to help with that. Our main concern is something called 'Crush Syndrome', which happens when toxins that have built up in a crushed body part are released when the body part is freed."

"I take it that's bad?" asked Miley and Lilly was surprised at the steadiness of her voice. She hardly sounded scared to someone who didn't know her, but Lilly could tell by the slight twitch in her hand and the way her eyes wandered around she was terrified, too.

"It can be fatal, but we're gonna do our best to prevent it from getting anywhere near that far, okay? We'll be giving you lots of fluids through the IV and some other medications, before they pull you out. Now, are you feeling pain anywhere else? Your abdomen, head?"

Miley shook her head and the second paramedic felt along her neck and abdomen, "You didn't hit your head during the quake?"

"No, I don't think so."

Caleb nodded and suddenly turned to Lilly, who had been sitting silently, watching. "Are you hurt?"

Lilly shook her head then remembered her foot, "My ankle, I think it's sprained or something."

Caleb motioned for her to show him and he unwrapped her haphazard bandage. Lilly grimaced as she saw her ankle for the first time in days. It had swollen despite the bandage and turned a nasty shade of black and blue. Just seeing it as it was sent renewed waves of pain through her, but she gritted her teeth to prevent it from showing.

"Lilly, your ankle looks like crap."

Lilly turned her head and glanced at her wife, "Thank you, Miley."

"Can you move it at all?" asked Caleb as he examined it more closely. Even his light touch was painful enough for Lilly to have to clench her jaw.

"I've sorta been walking on it, carefully. There's just been too much going on to worry about it."

He nodded and pulled a splint out of one of the bags, "I think it might be broken. I'm gonna splint it and we'll take you to the hospital, alright? We'll get a stretcher to carry you out."

Lilly watched him mold the splint around her misshapen ankle then stopped when she realized the implications of his words, "You're not gonna take me **now**, are you?"

"Yes, ideally every patient who can be moved should be, especially considering we're in a dangerous situation here."

Lilly shook her head vehemently, "No way, I'm not leaving her here."

"I understand you want to stay with your wife, but for safety reasons it's best you come with us. Miley is in very capable hands and as soon as they've freed her, we'll be rushing her to the hospital, too," Caleb tried to reason with Lilly, but she knew there was no way he could convince her otherwise.

Miley put her hand on Lilly's arm to get her wife to look at her, "It's okay, Lilly, I'll be fine."

Lilly narrowed her eyes and took Miley's hand in hers, "I told you I would never leave you, Miles, I am **not** leaving now. You understand?"

Miley bit her lip as tears filled her eyes, but she nodded, knowing there was no way she could talk Lilly out of this. So they sat, holding hands as they were focused only on each other, while the firefighters and paramedics bustled around them. Lilly was nervous, but she did not remove her gaze from Miley's eyes. Just staring in each other's eyes like that, maybe they could pretend they weren't down there surrounded by all these people or that they'd ever doubted in their love.

"We're gonna use the air bladder under the beam; as soon as there's enough clearance you pull her out, alright?"

The firefighter's words reached Lilly's ears as he talked to the paramedics, but she still didn't turn. She could tell by the look in Miley's eyes and the tight grip she had on Lilly's hand she was scared. Lilly didn't know what to say or do other than sit there and hold Miley's hand like her life depended on it. Maybe it did.

The ground rumbled to life, again. Shouts could be heard from the firefighters, but even as the shaking and falling debris threatened to knock her over, Lilly's eyes remained locked on her wife's, until the paramedic covered Miley's body with his own. The shaking seemed to continue forever, heavier and more forceful than the last few. Lilly hardly registered the body covering her own, because the hand she held was squeezing hers painfully now. Once the shaking stopped, the shouts finally registered with her and Lilly turned her head to look at the firefighters. They suddenly sounded a lot more frantic and their panic sent her own into resurgence.

When she turned back the paramedics looked a lot more worried, too. Miley's eyes were squeezed shut and she was breathing rapidly now, though her fingers were still squeezing Lilly's tightly.

"We're gonna get you out, hun, but I need you to calm down. Take slow, deep breaths," said Paul to Miley then turned to the firefighters working on the beam, "Come on guys, we need to get her out."

The earth shook again, though this time only for a few seconds. More debris rained down and a groaning sounded from the support beams still holding up the roof. The firefighters began shouting again. 

"Everyone out now! This place is completely unstable."

Some of the firefighters immediately made it back to the hole and Lilly watched in terror as Paul grabbed his bag, as well. "You can't leave her!"

"They're gonna get her out; my partner will stay, but I need you to come with me."

Lilly shook her head vehemently, "No, I'm not leaving her."

"Look, they can't concentrate on her if they have to worry about you, too. You need to come with me."

"We will forcefully have to remove you if you don't go **now**," said Rick the firefighter from her side and the urgency in his voice made her stop.

Lilly clenched her jaw, because she didn't want them to see her crying and leaned forward to kiss Miley's dusty forehead lightly. Miley was still breathing rapidly, but the look in her eyes told Lilly it was okay. With one last squeeze of her hand Lilly let go and Paul and a firefighter carried her towards the hole and out to freedom.

xxx

Lilly hadn't realized how dusty and stuffy the air had been down in their prison until the fresh morning air hit her face. She inhaled deeply, but just that simple act sent renewed tears pricking the back of her eyes. She was surprised to see the destruction wasn't as widespread as she had assumed. Some buildings appeared damaged, as well as parts of the roads, but the parking garage seemed to have taken the brunt of it. Paul and the firefighter carried her straight to a waiting ambulance and sat her on the stretcher. They moved as if to close the doors and Lilly stopped them.

"Whoa, we can't leave!"

Another paramedic gave her an odd look, but Paul waved him off, "We can wait for your wife, if you want. How's your ankle?"

"I'm fine," said Lilly, trying not to focus on the sudden throbbing she felt in her ankle after being reminded of it. "Do you think I could borrow someone's phone? I should…call my father-in-law."

Paul looked at her from where he sat on the bench beside the stretcher and then handed her his cell phone. Lilly thanked him and punched in the number with shaking fingers. Part of her was hoping the cell towers were still overtaxed and the call wouldn't go through, but she knew how much Miley loved her father and would want him to be there at the hospital. The call went through easily to her surprise and the tight ball of anxiety in her only grew. Maybe he wasn't home, she hoped. Miley's father picked up on the second ring, his voice anxious and harried as if he knew something horrible had happened to his daughter.

"Hello?"

Lilly had to swallow the lump in her throat and overcome her sudden panic to even be able to form a half coherent sentence, "Mr. S…it's…it's Lilly."

Lilly and Miley had been best friends since middle school and throughout the entirety of their friendship and later their romantic relationship in High School, Lilly had called him Mr. S – familiar, yet still respectful. Lilly's own father, though not a deadbeat, had not always been around enough and when Mr. Stewart had almost tearfully instructed Lilly to call him 'Dad' on their wedding day, it had meant more to her than she could have expressed. Of course, now, she had ruined that, too and though she had hardly seen or spoken to Mr. Stewart in the past few months of her and Miley's downward spiral, she knew he was mad at her. What father wouldn't be? Lilly understood, but she no longer felt right calling him 'Dad'.

"Lilly! Are you alright? Where is Miley?" His unexpected concern for her finally made the tears spill over and choked back a sob.

"I am, but…Miley…she's…it's bad."

He seemed to take a second to compose himself, as if realizing by her quivering voice he needed to be calm. "Lilly, what happened?"

"We were trapped…I…they're still…trying to get her out."

Lilly could hear movement in the background, as if he were already moving out the door. "Do you know which hospital you're going to?"

"What hospital? I…" Lilly could hardly think straight with the anxiety, panic and immense fatigue she was feeling. Someone touched her shoulder and she turned to look at Paul, who gave her the answer.

Lilly sighed, "UCLA."

"I will try my best to meet you there," said Mr. Stewart and Lilly could hear him already getting into his car. "You take care of my little girl, Lilly Truscott."

"I will." Lilly's voice was a mere whisper as she hung up and handed the phone back to Paul.

Lilly only briefly glanced up as she heard the helicopter. Her whole life was in a state of disarray, though she knew part of it was certainly her own fault. She just wanted Miley, alive and healthy, so she could beg on her knees for forgiveness. Blinking the inevitable tears away Lilly made a pact with whoever would listen if Miley survived she would be the best damn wife anyone had ever seen.

Paul's radio crackled to life and Lilly turned, hopeful, "Medic 371, this is LifeFlight, we're at the middle school. What's your status?"

"We're still waiting. Please standby," said Paul into the radio, noticing Lilly's concerned look.

"What's going on?"

"Lilly, we'll have to take Miley to UCLA by helicopter."

Lilly's eyes filled with tears again. She couldn't remember ever crying this much in her life. "She's gonna die, isn't she?"

Paul put a comforting hand on her shoulder, his face calm, "We're gonna do our best to make sure that doesn't happen. UCLA is a long way by ambulance and we'd rather not risk it, especially with the road damage."

"Can I…can I go with her?" asked Lilly, wondering briefly if Miley would even want her to. Regardless, Lilly would overrule her and force her way along.

Paul nodded and Lilly felt relieved that at least she wouldn't have to assault anyone to let her stay with her wife. The tight ball of anxiety in her stomach, however, had not loosened one bit and it was only growing larger with each passing minute. What could possibly take so long to pull someone as small as Miley out from under some rubble? Her eyes were transfixed on the broken parking structure, every part of her begging silently to see them carrying Miley out. The ground began shaking again and overwhelming panic seized Lilly's heart.

The firefighters mingling about began shouting again, but everyone's eyes were transfixed on the parking garage as it trembled and shook from the aftershock. It had only collapsed entirely on the left side, likely saving Lilly's and Miley's life, but the renewed shaking sent first the top pillars crumbling, before the entire right side of the structure crumbled. Lilly's scream stuck in her throat and she jumped up, forgetting all about her ankle until the searing pain shot through her. She shifted her weight, unwilling to sit while her heart was shattering. A sob tore through her and the tears spilled over, running down her dusty cheeks. Her life was over; there was nothing but a gaping, black hole in her chest that she could never hope to fix. Miley was her everything and Lilly knew it was all her fault. If she hadn't been such a horrible wife, they never would've been at this garage in the first place. Miley wouldn't be…Lilly couldn't even finish the thought. Another sob shook her body and she thought she might just pass out and never wake up. The firefighters were frantically yelling and running to the collapsed structure, but she paid them little mind.

She didn't see them at first, not until Paul grabbed her arm to get her to focus. A sudden dizziness swept over her as the firefighters struggled to pull a backboard up past the rubble. Paul gently, but forcefully, pushed her to sit on the bench beside the stretcher, making space. Once they had cleared the treacherous terrain, the firefighters, Caleb in tow, were rushing towards the ambulance with the backboard. They set it on top of the stretcher once they reached the ambulance, slammed the doors shut and they were moving all in such rapid succession, Lilly hardly knew what was going on. It wasn't until she saw the hand reaching for hers that she focused.

Lilly slid over slightly and took Miley's hand, a rush of emotions passing through her at the contact. She still couldn't stop the tears, but tried to control her sobs for Miley's sake. Miley was covered in even more dirt than Lilly remembered and they'd covered her legs so she couldn't tell how bad it was. Paul had put an oxygen mask on Miley's face, but she was awake, if looking a bit out of it. Lilly, as if suddenly realizing where they were, looked at Paul.

"Why are we in an ambulance? What happened to the helicopter?"

Despite what was going on, he still seemed calm and collected as he checked Miley's vitals and hung another bag on her IV, "They had to land at the middle school, we're going there right now."

Lilly turned her attention back to Miley, who was watching her intently. Her lips were moving, but Lilly had to lean closer to hear her wife over the sirens. "You…did this on purpose."

"Did what?" asked Lilly frowning.

"Earthquake…to get out of marriage counseling," said Miley, a weak grin on her face. Lilly blinked more tears away, but smiled.

"If I'd only known it'd be that easy, I would've done it a long time ago." Miley's gaze moved to their joined hands, where, despite the dirt, her silver wedding band and engagement ring stood out starkly.

Lilly swallowed hard as she followed Miley's gaze and waited for their eyes to meet again, "Miley, I know I was stupid, horrible, the worst wife ever and I hate myself for hurting you when I'd sworn I would always protect you. But I love you, with everything I have. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, regardless of what you decide. I just want us to be okay again."

Lilly was crying freely again, but tears pooled in Miley's eyes as well. Miley kept their eyes locked for a long time, before she squeezed Lilly's hand, "I think we'll be okay."

Lilly felt like sobbing again, but this time for different reasons. Miley weakly pulled the mask from her face, eyes still locked on Lilly's. Lilly had known her wife long enough to know what she wanted and leaned over carefully, planting a feather-light kiss on Miley's lips. It was the first honest, real kiss they'd shared in a long time, but as much as Lilly wanted it to continue, she took the oxygen mask from Miley's hand and put it back in place. She leaned closer again.

"And I was totally right about that survival bag," said Lilly with a slight grin. Miley gave her a weak smile, but the painful squeeze she was exercising on Lilly's hand said she wasn't amused. Lilly swiped the tears blurring her vision away and reached out her free hand. She brushed her fingertips lightly across Miley's cheek, all the love and devotion she felt for her wife mixing with the panic and uncertainty of their current situation. Miley's eyes drifted shut, the sirens wailing on in the background.

_The End_


End file.
